Swing-rail frog.



i .3o pass to the siding.

UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

MARQUE BUCHANAN, OF WINDSOR, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JOI-INBAXTER, OF FAIRLAND, ILLINOIS.

SWING-RAN. FROG.

'srnciricAfrIoN fr'min'g part 'of 'Letters Patent no. 637,229, biased'November 2'1, 189e.

Application led May 13, 1399.

To all z'to'm it may concern:

Beit known that I, ,MARQUE BUCHANAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Windsor, in the county of Shelby and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Swing- Rail Frog, of which the following isaspecification. Y

My invention relates to improvements in railway-switches in which aspringless-frog 1o construction is employed to simplify and c'he'apenthe device, enable the parts of the switch to be applied directly toordinary tieplates, and to promote the safety of the switch by renderingthe parts positive in their adjustment and service.

A further object is to provide means by which the movable point orswing-rails may be positively adjusted to vary the distance between thefree ends of said rails and there- 'zo by compensate for the wear whichtakes pla-ce on the frog and the swing-rails.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novel constructionand arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully e 5 describedand claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing the switch adjusted forthe main line and indicating by'dotted lines the position of theswing-rails when adjusted for a train to Fig. 2 is a verticalcrosss'ection on the plane indicated by the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3V is an enlarged detail view of the adjustable connection betweenthe swing-rails, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 1.`

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a part of the connecting-rod for theswing-rails, showing a slot to provide for the relative longitudinalmovement of said rails.

The same numerals of reference are used to indicate like andcorresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

The rail 5 of the main track is solid, continuous, or unbroken at therailway-crossing,

while the other main-track railhas its two members or parts 6 6separated a proper distance at the crossing to accommodate one of thepair of swing-rails employed at the intersection of the main-track rail6 with one member 9 of the divided side-track rail, as will Serial No.716,698. (No model.)

presently appear. The side-track rail 8 is substantially continuous orunbroken, and it is disposed in the ordinary relation usual torailway-switches at the crossing of the tracks. The other rail of theside track has its members 9 9 divided or separated to accommodate theother swing-rail of theimproved switch construction, and the rails 6 9of the main and side tracks are disposed to join with the frog '7, asclearly shown by Fig. 1.

As indicated briefly by the preceding description, my improved switchembraces a pair of swing-rails, which are alined with the members 6a 9aofthe main track and side track, respectively, and these swing-rails arecoupled together for simultaneous adjustment, in order that they may bealternately adjusted to contact with the opposite facesU-f the frog 7.One rail of the pair of swingrails is indicated by the numeral 10, andit 7o spans the space between the side-track rail 9a and the frog '7,and the end of said rail 10 which joins the section 9EL is spliced orpivotally connected thereto, so that the opposite or free end of therail 10 may move laterally 75 for a limited distance with respect to oneside or face of the frog?. This free end ofthe swing-rail 10 has itsinner face beveled 01 inclined at 11 to fit snugly to the side of thefrog 7 when the rail 10 is adjusted to aline 8o with the rail members 99a to close the side track. The other member 12 of the pair ofswing-rails' used in my switch is arranged alongside of the rail 10 tospan the space between the rail member 6 of 'the sidetrack 85 and thefrog 7, and the end of said Yrail 12. which is contiguous to the railmember (ifL is spliced or otherwise connected to said rail member 6?*for the free end of the swing-rail 12 to lap against the opposite sideor face of 9o the frog 7 from the side which is engaged by the free endof the swing-rail 10. The free end of said swing-rail 12is beveledorinclined at 13 to adapt said rail 12 for fitting snugly against thefrog 7. The pointed end of the frog and the beveled ends of theswing-rails 10 12 are seated on tie-plates 111 of ordinary constructionand which are fastened to the ties 15 by any approved means; but Whilethe frog 7 occupies a stationary position it is evi- 10o dent that theswing-rails 10 12 must play or move on the tie-plates in order to openor close the main line or the siding.

The free ends of the swing-rails 10 12 are coupled or united togetherintheir proper spaced relation by means of the binders 1S 19, which aredisposed on the lower sides of the rails and in the intervals betweenthe ties and the plates 14 thereon, so that the binders may move ortravel with the rails 10 12 without interference from the permanentfixed parts of the switch. These binders are of the usual or anypreferred construction well known to those skilled in the art, and, asis ordinary, said binders are constructed to embrace the flanged feet ofthe swing-rails in order that they may be held thereon by keys or otheradjustable devices.

Any suitable means may be provided for throwing the swing-rails 10 12;but in the simple embodiment of the invention shown by the drawings Iemploy a bell-crank lever 20, which is fulcrumed on one of the ties orto a plate fixed thereon, and to one arm of this lever is pivoted anoperating-rod 21, which extends to the switch-stand or the signaltower.This bell-crank lever is connected with the coupled swing-rails 10 12 bya single pitman having adjustable connection with both of said rails inorder that the two rails may be operated simultaneously from thebell-crank lever, and said rails may be adj usted relatively to eachother for varying the `\space or distance between the free beveled endsof said swing-rails in order to compensate for the wear which takesplace on the pointot' the frog and the pointed ends of the rails,thereby insuring nicety and accuracy in the fitting of the swing-railsto the frog and also overcoming any gapping between said rails and thefrog. One end of this pitinan 23 is threaded for a part of its length,as at 24, and is passed through an aperture or slot 26 in the swing-rail12. A pair of clamping-nuts 27 ale screwed on the threaded part 24 ofthe pitman in positions to bind against opposite sides of the rail 12,and thereby make said rail and pitman fast one with the other.

On the threaded extremity ofthe pilman 23 is screwed a forked orbifurcated coupling-head 28, adapted to be removed when the nuts 27 areto be screwed on the threaded part 24 of the pitman, thus providing forthe ready assemblage of the elements and the easy disconnection of theparts in the event of renewal of or repairs to the switch mechanism. Thepitman 23 has a threaded link 29 fitted in the bifurcated head 28, andthis link and the pitman-head are connected pivotally or slidablytogether by means of a pin or bolt 30, which passes through a slot inthe forked head and one end of said link to provide for the propermovement of the rails. The threaded link is extended through a slot oraperture 31, which is provided in the swingrail 10, and said link andrail are made fast together by the employment of nuts 32, which arescrewed on the link in position to embrace the respective sides of theswing-rail 10. It will be noted that the binders 1S 19 serve toadjnstably couple the fianged feet of the two swingrails, and the link29 also couples the pitmau adjustably to the swingrails, whereby therails l0 12 may be adjusted laterally to vary the interval or spacebetween the free ends thereof. This adjustment of the rails serves totake up the wear on the frog 7 and the beveled end of the rails, and thedescribed construction wholly obviates the elnployment of a spring andat the' same time insures the swing-rails having the propel' intimateengagement with the frog to prevent gapping of the switch mechanism atthe crossing between the main and side tracks.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the full lines indicate theswing-rail 12 as engaging with the left-hand face of the frog 7, so asto make the rail 12 constitute a continuation of the broken main-linerails G 6, andtheswitchisthusadjusted to permitatrain to pass along themain track. The bell-crank 20 may be thrown to its reversedv position(shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) to pull the pitman 23 in a directionto shift the relation of the rails 10 12 to the frog, as shown by dottedlines, and thus the rail 10 is engaged with the frog, while the rail 12is disengaged therefrom to make the rail 10 span the space between themembers 9 9a of the side track, whereby a train may pass from the maintrack to the side track or vice versa.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided animproved switch construction which wholly dispenses with the use ofsprings and enables the elements of the switch to be fitted to ordinarytie-plates, thus simplifying the construction and promoting theconvenience in the installation of the switch. rlhe swingrails areactuated positively, and they are confined securely in place againstaccidental movement, thus con tributing to the security of the track.

If it is considered necessary to have the froglocked, I may employafacing-point lock and the switching-movement lock and detector-bars,such as are used in the familiar type of interlocking plants. It will benoted that the swing-rails are spliced to the maintrack and sidingrails, and the frog is also spliced to said rails, as in the commonconstruction.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ofconstruction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is-- 1. In arailway-switch, the combination with a main track, a side track, and afrog, of the pair ot' swing-rails operatively connected with dividedrails forming parts of esmas g the main and side tracks and having theirfree ends beveled to embrace the respective sides of the frog,adjustable devices connecting the free beveled ends of the swing-railsand spacing the same laterally with relation one to the other, and apitman connected with said rails to simultaneously move the same,substantially as described.

2. In a railway-switch2 the combination with a main track, a side track,and a frog, of the swing-rails in operative relation to certain rails ofthe main and side tracks, and a pitman rigidly coupled to theswing-rails, the joint between the pitman and the rails permittingadjustment of the two rails laterally with respect to one another ytocompensate for Wear of the pointed ends of the swingrails andthe frog,substantially as described.

3. In a railway-switch, the combination with a frog and a pair ofswing-rails, of a pitman connected fast to one of the swingrails, and alink pivoted to said pitman and adj ustably connected totheother'swingmail, substantially as described.

4. In a railway switch, the combination with a frog, and a pair ofspaced swing-rails,

of a pitman having a threaded end made fast l MARQUE BUCHANAN.

Witnesses:

A. A. RICKETTs, CHAs. O. BRUCE.

